B.C. gangs 2011: list of main gangs operating in B.C.

B.C. has been rocked by gang violence recently. Here is some background on some of the largest gangs operating in B.C.Pascal Marchand
/ Special to the Sun

A) Red ScorpionsAbbotsford police
/ hanout

Le was beaten by a group of Korean youths. In response, he called in more than 20 friends to help him in an attack that resulted in victim Richard Jung’s death. Le was originally convicted of second-degree murder in the death, but won a new trial on appeal, then pleaded guilty to manslaughter.Getty Images
/ Getty Images

Some of those also convicted went on to join the multi-ethnic street gang whose members sport scorpion tattoos and are involved in drug trafficking in Coquitlam and other Lower Mainland suburbs.ADRIAN LAM
/ TIMES COLONIST

Among them was Eddie Narong, who also pleaded guilty to Jung’s manslaughter. Narong testified against some of his co-accused. Narong, 22, would die in the infamous Surrey Six murders allegedly committed by members of the Red Scorpions on Oct. 19, 2007, when six men were shot to death in a Surrey highrise. Two were uninvolved bystanders.Ian Smith
/ Vancouver Sun files

The Bacon brothers of Abbotsford rose to prominence in this gang with the eldest, Jonathan — killed this weekend in Kelowna — being identified as its leader. Jonathan was awaiting trial for drugs and weapons offences. In 2006, he was shot several times while in his parents’ driveway.Rick Collins
/ Vancouver Sun file

Jarrod Bacon is facing a number of drug charges.Ward Perrin
/ Vancouver Sun

The Red Scorpions have been involved in a long-standing war with the United Nations gang.Rick Collins
/ Vancouver Sun files

B) The United Nations Gang...
/ Facebook

The United Nations is another multi-ethnic gang. Police believe it was founded in the late 1990s by Clay Roueche, 35, of Chilliwack from among his high school friends. It developed a rigid organizational structure like the Hells Angels.Archive
/ PNG

The gang has also made enemies of the Hells Angels and Independent Soldiers.Kim Bolan
/ Vancouver Sun

Roueche is serving a 30-year sentence in the United States for smuggling marijuana and cocaine across the border....
/ Facebook

With Roueche in jail, Conor D’Monte, 33, an original member of the gang, was identified by police as leader of the UN. D’Monte is a fugitive after being charged in January with the 2009 first-degree murder of Red Scorpion member Kevin LeClair.Handout
/ RCMP

Charged with him is purported hit man Cory Vallee, 34, who has also fled.Handout
/ RCMP

These two, along with six others linked to the UN gang, are also charged with plotting to kill the Bacon brothers and their associates.handout
/ RCMP

C) Independent SoldiersSubmitted
/ Special to The Sun

This the newest of the major street gangs, formed about six years ago from mostly young Indo-Canadian males involved in the drug trade.Bill Keay
/ Vancouver Sun

Its roots go back to the notorious Bindy Johal, who was killed on the dance floor of a Vancouver nightclub in 1998.Mark van Manen
/ Vancouver Sun

The gang has spread from Vancouver, with members operating in Kelowna and Calgary. It is believed to have developed links with the Hells Angels.Grant Black
/ Calgary Herald

D) Hells AngelsStaff
/ Vancouver Sun

While the likes of the Red Scorpions, the Independent Soldiers and the UN are referred to as mid-level players, police consider the Hells Angels a top-echelon criminal organization, seen in the same light as the Mafia and the Big Circle gang.Handout
/ ..

The Hells Angels have a highly structured hierarchy, with full-patch members at the top. Below are prospects, hang­arounds, official friends and associates working their way through the ranks.Special to the Sun
/ ..

The organization today has hundreds of chapters in more than 20 countries. It has a number of established clubs in the Lower Mainland and a number of puppet clubs such as the Prince George-based Renegades....
/ Special to the Vancouver Sun

For a pictoral breakdown of the key players in B.C.'s gang scene, click here.

Red Scorpions

A violent drug-trafficking criminal organization, the Red Scorpions gang was formed about 2000, allegedly by Quang Vinh Le while he was incarcerated in Willingdon Youth Detention Centre.

Le was beaten by a group of Korean youths. In response, he called in more than 20 friends to help him in an attack that resulted in victim Richard Jung’s death. Le was originally convicted of second-degree murder in the death, but won a new trial on appeal, then pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Some of those also convicted went on to join the multi-ethnic street gang whose members sport scorpion tattoos and are involved in drug trafficking in Coquitlam and other Lower Mainland suburbs.

Among them was Eddie Narong, who also pleaded guilty to Jung’s manslaughter. Narong testified against some of his co-accused. Narong, 22, would die in the infamous Surrey Six murders allegedly committed by members of the Red Scorpions on Oct. 19, 2007, when six men were shot to death in a Surrey highrise. Two were uninvolved bystanders.

The Bacon brothers of Abbotsford rose to prominence in this gang with the eldest, Jonathan — killed this weekend in Kelowna — being identified as its leader. Jonathan was awaiting trial for drugs and weapons offences. In 2006, he was shot several times while in his parents’ driveway.

Jarrod Bacon is facing a number of drug charges.

The Red Scorpions have been involved in a long-standing war with the United Nations gang.

The United Nations Gang

The United Nations is another multi-ethnic gang. Police believe it was founded in the late 1990s by Clay Roueche, 35, of Chilliwack from among his high school friends. It developed a rigid organizational structure like the Hells Angels.

The gang has also made enemies of the Hells Angels and Independent Soldiers.

Roueche is serving a 30-year sentence in the United States for smuggling marijuana and cocaine across the border.

With Roueche in jail, Conor D’Monte, 33, an original member of the gang, was identified by police as leader of the UN. D’Monte is a fugitive after being charged in January with the 2009 first-degree murder of Red Scorpion member Kevin LeClair.

Charged with him is purported hit man Cory Vallee, 34, who has also fled.

These two, along with six others linked to the UN gang, are also charged with plotting to kill the Bacon brothers and their associates.

Independent Soldiers

This the newest of the major street gangs, formed about six years ago from mostly young Indo-Canadian males involved in the drug trade. Its roots go back to the notorious Bindy Johal, who was killed on the dance floor of a Vancouver nightclub in 1998. The gang has spread from Vancouver, with members operating in Kelowna and Calgary. It is believed to have developed links with the Hells Angels.

Hells Angels

While the likes of the Red Scorpions, the Independent Soldiers and the UN are referred to as mid-level players, police consider the Hells Angels a top-echelon criminal organization, seen in the same light as the Mafia and the Big Circle gang.

The Hells Angels have a highly structured hierarchy, with full-patch members at the top. Below are prospects, hang­arounds, official friends and associates working their way through the ranks.

The organization today has hundreds of chapters in more than 20 countries. It has a number of established clubs in the Lower Mainland and a number of puppet clubs such as the Prince George-based Renegades. However, new biker clubs linked to the Hells Angels have been sprouting up all over the province recently, from Campbell River to Fort St. John, as the gang seeks to maintain its status.

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